Watling: Australia's return to form no surprise

Plays of the Week

From bunker brilliance to rampaging Waratahs, these are the most exciting, silly and downright crazy plays in the sport world this week.

But the man dubbed "Flash", quickly proving his value in blue and gold on a one-year deal that expires at season's end, has other ideas.

Almost all of Gordon's contracts during his 182-game career have been the one-year-at-a-time variety and, given he will turn 33 in October, the next one, if he is to receive another, is unlikely to be any different.

But the former Panther and Shark believes there is plenty of upside left in an NRL career that started a decade ago.

"I certainly don't feel like this will be my last year, not at all," Gordon said. "I feel like I've still got plenty left. It's hard to say [how long]. I feel I've got at least two good years in me. I don't want to play any longer than I should, so I'll just assess it each year.

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"The trainer reckons I've got plenty left, so hopefully he can go into bat for me. The body is good, I had a really good pre-season, so I'm feeling fresh and fine at the moment."

Despite the "Flash" moniker, Gordon was never going to provide the X factor of a Jarryd Hayne. But in his first three appearances for the Eels, Gordon has provided coach Brad Arthur with a reliable option as a fullback and goalkicker. His positional play in his last start against Canterbury, against whom he ran for 179 metres, was outstanding.

In youngster Bevan French, the leading try scorer in Parramatta's title-winning Auckland Nines team, the Eels believe they have a long-term replacement for Hayne. But the Eels are in no rush to blood French, who is sidelined with a hand injury, in the top grade, particularly with a potential mentor such as Gordon in fine form.

Asked if he was hopeful of extending his stay at Parramatta, Gordon said: "For sure. It's only early days but they're trying to build something really good here. Brad has taken time to create that environment and, if I can be a part of it, that's great. I'd like to stay, for sure.

"I will play for as long as they need me. If someone is playing better than me and doing a better job, I won't stand in their way. As long as I'm performing, I feel I deserve a crack."

Most of the focus leading into the traditional Easter Monday clash against Wests Tigers has been on the opposing fullback. James Tedesco has already scored five tries this season and is on track to secure a maiden Blues jersey after a blistering start to the year. Both custodians have played an integral role in their teams posting a 2-1 start to the season.

"You just have to stick to what works for you in defence, stay in your line," Gordon said when asked how to limit Tedesco's impact.

"They look for gaps in defence so, if you don't give them any, hopefully we can go a long way towards shutting him down.

"If someone flies out of the line, that's what they look for, they've got the players to take advantage of that. Hopefully, we can stay solid and trust our inside men to do the job for us and we'll be fine."

More than 50,000 fans saw the Tigers beat the Eels in the corresponding clash last year and officials are hopeful of a similar turnout for the ANZ Stadium encounter. The battle of the halves – the Tigers' pairing of Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses against Parramatta's Corey Norman and Kieran Foran – will be another highlight.

"They are both silky players and I get the best seat in the house sitting back behind them watching them," Gordon said of his halves combination.

"It's been an absolute pleasure so far, so hopefully we get better as the season goes on.

"It's a 4pm kick-off so hopefully conditions are nice and fast. They've got some silky players in their team and some speed as well, so it's going to be a massive challenge."